


The Haunting of Kane Manor

by GoldTitaniumMaiden



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily Angst, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Damian Wayne-centric, Haunting, Inspired by The Haunting of Hill House, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Jason Todd, Tim Drake Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-14 15:23:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20603033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldTitaniumMaiden/pseuds/GoldTitaniumMaiden
Summary: The Kane Manor was certainly well out of the way. Like Wayne Manor it had a perimeter wall and gate keeping it separated from the rest of Gotham. It was very stately. Damian didn’t like it; this place felt wrong.It was well composed. The floor was polished and sturdy beneath their feet. Each molding looked lovingly crafted, glass triple glazed and whole. Well maintained but not lived in. There was a thin layer of dust and cobwebs in the corners. If any occupants linger, they aren't human.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: So I wanted to write this for a while. It’s strictly AU although Bruce is still batman and his kids are still their various vigilante selves. 
> 
> Also this is based heavily on The Haunting of Hill House so if you haven’t seen it and you want to I suggest watching that first because there are spoilers in this. I’m mostly just stealing the ghosts and haunting part of the show not the plot itself.
> 
> I've never written horror before so this is a bit out of my depth but I think it will be interesting to pit the batfamily against something they can't fight with fists.

“Why do we have to stay here?” Damian stared out the window of his father’s Audi R6 seeing the large house looming in the distance. He already didn’t like it. 

Tim rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you see what happened to the manor? It’s burnt down. Where else are we supposed to stay?” 

“Tim.” there was a warning in Bruce’s voice. 

“I know that idiot.” Damian snapped back “I just mean, why can’t we stay at the penthouse?”

“Both of you. That’s enough.” Bruce’s tone was final. “We’re staying here because we can’t do what we do from the penthouse.” Which meant that it was too public for the vigilante part of their lives. 

Kane Manor was certainly well out of the way. It was like Wayne manor in a lot of ways. A big wall with a metal gate keeping it separated from the rest of the world. It was very stately. Robin didn’t like it; this place felt wrong. 

“How’s Pennyworth?” He asked knowing any more talk of not wanting to be here would get him nowhere. His father had obviously already made up his mind. 

“The doctors said he’ll be alright but he’s going to be in hospital for a while.” Bruce answered. “We’ll go visit him tomorrow.” He assured them. He could see the worry in Damian’s and Tim’s eyes from the rearview mirror. Hell, _he_ was worried. He couldn’t imagine his life without Alfred, didn’t know if he could make it without him. No. He was sure he couldn’t. The old man had to be ok. He had to pull through this because Bruce couldn’t do any of it without him. 

The day was already fading into evening as Bruce pulled up to their temporary home.

He took a deep breath. “Come on. Let’s get settled.”

Alfred’s absence must have been affecting all of them because neither boy put up a fight. 

Damian shouldered one of his bags and pulled the other over the gravel driveway. He could hear Drake beside him. He felt this weird shiver go down his spine as he looked up the house and for just a second he wanted to reach out and grab Tim’s hand. 

The moment passed and Damian cringed at his own thoughts. He wasn’t a child. He was just feeling the loss of his home and Pennyworth. He missed Titus and Alfred and Batcow. Bruce had assured him that they were being well looked after at the Kent’s. But he didn’t like it. He hated all of this, but he kept his mouth shut. Father never listened and Drake was an idiot. What would be the point? 

Bruce flicked on the lights and they flickered a few times before the parlor was bathed in light. It was well composed. The floor was polished and sturdy beneath their feet. Each molding looked lovingly crafted, glass triple glazed and whole. Well maintained but not lived in. There was a thin layer of dust and cobwebs in the corners, proof that no one had truly lived here for quite some time. 

“Go ahead you can each pick a room for yourself. There should be some set up for us to choose from.” He told them. Neither of them seemed very excited but they moved dutifully toward the stairs.

Tim was the first up the stairs. Damian lagging behind. He turned, his little brother looked more unsure than he’d ever seen him. The Damian he knew would have had his nose turned up telling Tim that_ he_ was the blood son therefore _he_ should get first pick. Instead he just looked really small. For the first time Tim thought he looked like a real little kid. 

Bruce was being softer too. That was also weird. He guessed it was everything that had happened. Wayne Manor burning down. Alfred having a heart attack. It was a lot.

He shook himself and kept walking. Tim claimed the first room he found. He threw his bags on the bed and wrinkled his nose the whole place smelled musty. The rooms were just as big here as they had been at Wayne Manor but there was no homely touch to them. These rooms all felt like a set on a movie lot. They looked like rooms that one would expect to find in a mansion complete with weird statues, it even had an armoire instead of the more modern dressers. It all felt fake. 

The teen missed his old room. Now he was starting to sound like the brat. Tim wrinkled his nose. He moved his bags and took their spot on the bed staring up at the ceiling when he heard a loud _BANG_. He sat up looking to the left. 

There was a painting of a cabin next to a lake hanging on the wall. Boring. Dusty like everything else. A few seconds passed and then the whole wall shuddered as another _bang_ made him jump the painting moved as though someone was pounding on the wall from the other side. 

“Damian cut it out!” He yelled. The boy didn’t answer. 

_Bang_... _BANG_..._BANG_

Again and again the wall shook the painting rocked back against the wall each time. Tim just kept staring unable to tear his eyes away. 

_ Thunk thunk _

He jumped swinging his head around to the door. It was open, Bruce was leaning against the frame. He looked concerned at Tim’s startled expression. 

“You ok?” 

“Did you hear that?” 

“What?” 

“The Demon brat was banging on the wall. I know he’s doing it on purpose.” Bruce looked confused. 

“Damian’s not in the room next to yours he’s on the other side of the hallway and down a few doors.” 

“But-”

“This place is pretty old. None of the Kanes have lived here since my great grandmother I think.” He mused, “it’s probably the plumbing old pipes clanging against the wall.”

“Yeah, sure...” Tim looked back at the painting a little unsure but he accepted the explanation turning back to the man. “Did you need something?”

“Just checking up on you. I’m not going out tonight but I think it would be best if things got back to normal tomorrow… or as normal as it gets with us.” 

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” Tim could use a night beating up bad guys. 

“Night.”

“Good night.” Bruce shut the door as he left. Tim changed into a pair of sweats and clicked off the light. He felt a small shiver run down his spine but shook himself immediately after. He was 16 and a far cry from being scared of the dark. 

…

Damian scoffed at the state of the room stripping the bedding and sheets off and throwing them in the corner. His father had said the house had a few caretakers that came in during the day to keep the house in good condition but they weren't nearly as efficient as Pennyworth. 

Not that it mattered. Bruce said they would not be around during their stay because of the secrecy that was necessary for Batman. They would be in charge of cleaning up after themselves. Tt. 

“Damian cut it out!” He heard and peeked out of his room. Nothing, Tim was an idiot, he wasn’t even doing anything. He rolled his eyes and shut the door turning around to observe his room, until something caught his eye. There was a light outside his window, just below at the edge of the estate, it was small faint and flickering like a lantern. He moved closer to the glass trying to get a better look. His frown deepened. It was a little girl. Younger than he was. Maybe 6 or 7. Strange. A sudden flash of movement had his eyes focusing on something different something closer a reflection in the window pane itself.

It was a woman, deathly white skin pulled taut over bone, eyes milky. He froze he could feel her just behind him; her presence making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Adrenaline kicked in and he moved quickly ready for an attack but his room was empty.

The doorknob on his door twisted and he felt a chill down his spine as it creaked open and he was so sure it was her. His fists clenched tightly. 

“Damian?” 

He let out the breath he’d been holding. “Father.” He looked up at Bruce and felt suddenly stupid for his delusions. “You startled me.” 

Bruce nodded looking uncomfortable. He always did when he was dealing with Damian. He sometimes wondered what made him so different from his brothers. Was he so much of a monster? His father even handled Jason better than Damian. He was Bruce’s own flesh and blood, it shouldn’t be this way.

“I knew you’d do something like that.” Bruce gestured to the bed pulling Damian away from his own self loathing. 

He crossed his arms. “They were dusty and gross.” 

“I brought you this.” He put the blanket on the bed. “I was able to bring it from home.” Damian was shocked. He stared at the man as if he had two heads. Was it really so rare for him to be kind to his son? If Alfred were here he’d know what to say or what to do. 

As it was, Bruce just left it at that; wishing Damian good night and heading toward his second youngest to do the same. 

…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!” Tim bolted up in bed. That was Damian. Screaming. Damian didn’t scream. Not like that. Not like he was afraid, terrified. He bolted out of bed. 

“Damian!” He threw open the door and Damian was smushed up against the headboard of his bed his eyes wide like he’d seen something horrifying. He looked around the room searching for an intruder. But the room was empty.

“Tim?”

He looked back at Damian confused. Had his brother just called him Tim? “Um. Damian? What the hell?” 

“I-”

They heard footsteps and Damian immediately froze up looking horrified until Bruce came into view stopping to look between the boys. “I heard a scream. Were you two fighting?” He looked ready to scold them. 

“No.” Tim shook his head “I didn’t do anything. I was sleeping and I heard the demon brat scream.” Bruce gave him a look at the name but let it drop in order to address his youngest. 

“Damian?” 

“There was--” He looked like he didn’t know what to say. He had his knees drawn to his chest, curled into a ball. It was as far from Damian behaviour as it was possible to be. “I had a nightmare. It was…” he cleared his throat. “Sorry.” 

Bruce didn’t look convinced. “Go back to bed Tim.” 

The teen looked at his father for moment but ultimately nodded turning to walk down the hallway back toward his room. He glanced behind a few times suddenly uncertain. The whole situation just seemed so unreal. 

Bruce took a seat on the bed next to Damian. “You haven’t had a nightmare in a while.” He remembered the boy crawling into his bed multiple times, but that had been right after his death. As the months had passed his nightly visits had dwindled down to nothing. That had been almost 8 months ago. His 11 year old just looked down at his hands. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“It seemed so real.” Was all the boy offered and he looked so pale and shaken up. Bruce couldn’t imagine leaving him here alone. 

“Do you want to come sleep with me?”

Damian nodded. Bruce stood up and waited for his son to get out of bed. He frowned when he noticed his legs were shaking. He’d never seen him so affected before. His son was normally a rock. He hated to be treated like a child or coddled. Now, his youngest grasped his hand tightly and after they’d left his room he smooshed his face into Bruce’s side like he was hiding. 

Something had scared him worse than ever before. 

…

_Flashback_

Once his father had left Damian shut the door. He didn’t think about what he’d seen again. Fanciful images procured by his imagination in a creepy old house. Nothing more. 

Despite that he still made a running leap into bed as soon as he clicked off the light pulling the blanket quickly over himself. It was foolish. He was a trained assassin. He could kill anything... or rather seriously maim now a days. There was nothing to be afraid of. 

Still, he lay awake. He watched the shadows dancing along the walls creating almost ghoulish looking figures. The boy snapped his eyes shut and berated himself. He forced his breathing to calm and counted in his head. 

1… 2… 3… 4… 5…

...22...23…………

Damian couldn’t remember exactly which number he fell asleep on but he knew exactly what had woken him up. His eyelids felt heavy from exhaustion but he could hear the squeak of the door slowly opening. Probably his father, the man had a habit of looking in on them. He waited patiently to hear the door close again, but it didn’t. 

He heard breathing; felt it fan over his cheek like a cold caress. The smell was putrid. 

Damian knew in an instant that it wasn’t his father. There was someone else in his room. Standing over his bed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” 

Rotting, decaying, dead, pallid, icy skin, ebony flesh, pale, grisly, tragic, lifeless, soulless black eyes staring at him. He could see his own frightened face reflected within them.

He’d never screamed so loudly in his life. The entire ordeal probably lasted a minute, maybe less, but for Damian it felt like an hour just staring at it with it staring back. And then Drake busted into his room and it was gone. Like a mirage. 

His brother looked around automatically searching for a danger that was no longer there and all Damian could do was stay frozen huddled in his bed. 

He had this sick feeling that the woman was hiding, waiting for Tim to leave again. 

“Tim?” He hated how his voice shook.

“Um. Damian? What the hell?” Tim was staring at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was. He felt crazy. 

“I-” He tried to answer but words failed him. How could he possibly explain what had happened. It was ludicrous even to his own mind and he had been there. But had it really been real? Was there ever a woman at all? 

Now, with the lights on and Drake panting by his bed. It all seemed so far away like a dream. 

“I heard a scream. Were you two fighting?” 

“No. I didn’t do anything. I was sleeping and I heard the demon brat screaming.”

“Damian?” 

Damian could hear them talking but he didn’t really register it until his father addressed him. His head shot up and he looked at the man. 

“There was--” He almost said woman but his father would have asked him to describe her and he wasn’t sure he could. And now he was becoming more and more convinced that it had been a figment of his mind brought on by stress. “I had a nightmare. It was…” he cleared his throat. “Sorry.” 

Bruce didn’t look convinced. “Go back to bed Tim.” 

Damian was glad to see the teen go. He felt a bit humiliated for overreacting. It was a stupid nightmare. 

Bruce took a seat on the bed next to Damian. “You haven’t had a nightmare in a while. Do you want to talk about it?” He most certainly did not. 

“It seemed so real.” He was telling himself this as much as his father. 

“Do you want to come sleep with me?” he looked up rather startled it had been a while since he’d slept in his father’s bed afraid of the clone that had killed him when he was 10. It had been months, almost an entire year since then. And yet he could not imagine slipping back into sleep if he stayed in this room. So he nodded. 

The boy hopped out of bed following his father from the room. Bruce clicked off the light as they left and Damian looked behind him just before the door closed and he could see her staring at him just before the door swung closed.

It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. Just the after images of a bad dream. But he practically buried himself in his father’s arms for the rest of the walk to Bruce’s room anyway. 

…

In the light of the morning Damian felt even more stupid for his fit. Waking up next to Bruce left him humiliated. When had he become so weak. To let something like that scare him. He scoffed. 

He slipped from the bed and headed out looking around the mansion. Most of the rooms had sheets thrown over all the furniture. It didn’t take him long to locate the kitchen. Drake was already there. His brother swallowed the bite of apple as he walked in. 

“Hey Demon. Sleep well.” 

“Shut up Drake.” 

“I wasn’t teasing.” Tim clarified. He wouldn’t do that to his brother not over a nightmare. He’d had his fair share in the past, sometimes he still did. He knew for a fact that Dick and Jason did too. It was like an unwritten rule among the robins; nightmares were off limits. “I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” 

Damian looked suspicious but he shrugged. “Tt. I’m fine.” Was all he offered. “Do you think father is going to order in or should we cook?” 

“We’re cooking.” Bruce said yawning as he joined them. 

“Do you even know how to cook?” Damian asked curiously. Pennyworth was the only one he’d ever seen cook before. Well Grayson had tried once but he didn’t consider it cooking more like burning.

“I can manage eggs.” Bruce informed him. He could, to some degree. They were edible.

“I’m dropping you both off at school this morning afterwards we can stop by and see Alfred. Sound good?” 

“Can we go out tonight?” Damian questioned. 

“Yes.” 

“Good.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Another chapter pretty quick after the last one. Yay!! :D 
> 
> I'm going to be switching back and forth between my batman stories working on both. So if you like the batbrother bonding check out my other batman fic as well.

“I want to go out. It's Batman _and Robin_” Damian huffed crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. Tim was stretched out on a nearby couch his books spread out on the far cushion working on school work. The procrastinator. He’d gotten his own homework done on Friday as soon as school was out. he'd made the mistake of not doing his classwork and Batman had benched him. Never again. 

Nothing had happened since Friday night. Damian didn't have any other nightmares. But then again he hadn't been in the house at night since Friday either. By the time the evening started to darken the hallways and cast shadows over the walls Robin was already suited up with Batman beside him swinging through Gotham far away from whatever rested in Kane Manor. 

But it was Sunday now. And there was no patrol to take him away. 

“There’s school tomorrow. Bruce never lets us out on a school night. You know that.” 

“Tt.” Damian clicked his tongue and Tim held himself back from mocking his little brother. 

“You don’t have to sit here and watch me work. Go to bed.” 

“I don’t want to.” The boy looked toward the dark hallway the shadows stretching across the floor reaching out toward him. Damian twitched and slid further into the cushions. he wasted time switching between meditating and reading. He'd sit still for a while until he couldn't stand the silence then he would get up meander toward the bookcases, run his finger along the spines before choosing a novel and sitting back down again. Rinse and repeat. 

Never before had Damian volunteered to stay in the same room as him for such an extended period of time. Although, his brothers constant fidgeting was making it hard for him to focus on his own work. “Oh my god.” He couldn’t take it anymore, snapping his math book closed annoyed when Damian shuffled around for the millionth time. “Time for bed.” 

“You can’t tell me what to do.” 

“Fine. Stay here.” He shot back and walked toward his room without looking back. He could hear Damian following along behind him and rolled his eyes. There was definitely something wrong with the brat. Maybe he could call Dick tomorrow. His eldest brother was better with Damian than any of the rest of them were. 

…

The door to Tim’s room slammed open ricocheting off the wall from the force. The teen jumped turning around in bed and rubbing his eyes trying to clear the sleep from them.

“Brat?” 

“What do you want Drake!?” Damian was certainly in a mood. 

“What?” He was so confused. He didn’t want anything. Okay, not true. He _wanted_ to go back to sleep.

“Don’t play stupid. You were banging on my walls, calling my name.” Damian was glaring at him. The boy sat up fully now. 

“In case you didn’t notice, when you came barging in, I was sleeping. Besides why would I waste my time banging on you’re stupid walls.” 

“Because you’re an asshole!” 

“I’m telling Bruce you said a curse word.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“Two curse words.” 

“Childish.” Damian grumbled. “Whatever. I know it was you so just cut it out. It’s not funny.” 

“_I didn’t do anything._” Tim bit out not liking that he was being blamed. 

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!” 

“Did--”

_BANG_

The both jumped. The far wall shuddered. It was just like the first night. Pipes. Bruce said it was just old pipes. 

_BANG_

He still jumped when it happened again. Damian did too stepping backwards towards Tim eyes focused on the spot.

_BANG_

It moved to the right. Tim found himself suddenly with a lap full of his little brother. The boy jumped up on his bed hand gripping so tightly at his arms he was sure there were going to be finger shaped bruises there in the morning. 

But he didn’t have time to focus on that. 

_BANG_ _BANG_ _BANG_

It was moving around the room, toward the--

“Shut the door. Shut the door. Shut the door.” Damian whispered under his breath though he didn’t make a move toward it. Like he was frozen in place. 

_BANG_

Closer. 

_BANG_

Closer closer closer. Tim jumped out of the bed and slammed his door shut clicking the lock into place chest heaving adrenaline pumping through his veins. Seconds later and the entire door frame rattled on its hinges. 

_BANG_

The teen felt like his lungs had frozen up. He couldn’t breathe all he could do was just stare at the door. The knob twisted and he heard Damian whimper to his left. It continued to twist.

And then just as quickly as it had started it all stopped. 

“That was--” his voice croaked and he had to swallow a few times before he could speak again. “That was weird.” He sounded more like himself that time. 

“Do you think it’s gone?” 

“Bruce said it was just old pipes.” He repeated his adopted father’s words. They sounded stupid out loud. 

“Yeah.” Damian tried to sound sarcastic but it just came out forced and shaky. “Pipes wiggled the doorknob. That makes sense.” 

“What do you think it was then if you’re so smart?”

“I don’t know.” Damian answered honestly. Tim didn’t know either. 

He looked over at his little brother kneeling on the bed. “We’ll leave it shut. Just in case. You can share a bed with me tonight.” 

It said a lot that his brother didn’t protest. The bed wasn’t big enough for both of them to spread out on but it didn’t matter anyway Damian pressed himself as close to Tim as he was able. Tim wanted to think it was annoying but he was still staring at the door as he pulled the little boy closer. 

…

“You’re telling me you didn’t even check to see if there was intruder in the house.” Bruce exploded at the two of them in the kitchen the next morning. 

Tim didn’t pull his gaze from the table unable to come up with a reason why that hadn’t occurred to him the night before. Why hadn’t he just assumed that a there had been a thief who’d snuck in and heard them arguing. Gotham was breeding ground for criminals and it wasn’t like Kane Manor was as well fortified as Wayne Manor had been. 

Damian was gritting his teeth his fists clenched like he wanted nothing more than to object, but he stayed quiet as well. 

“You’re trained to handle things like this.” Bruce sounded so disappointed. 

…

“It wasn’t a thief.” Damian muttered on their way to school. Tim was driving them this morning as Bruce had opted to stay behind and make sure nothing was stolen or damaged the night before. 

“What else was it supposed to be. A ghost?” Tim felt so dumb for being so freaked out the night before. Bruce had been right they were trained better. His brother didn’t automatically answer and he laughed a little. “I was kidding. You don’t actually believe there’s a ghost do you?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Damian, there’s no such thing--”

“Shut up Drake. Don’t talk to me like I’m a child!”

Tim pulled into the student parking lot. “Maybe you should stop acting like one then!” He shouted back. 

Damian glared at him grabbing his backpack and climbing out of the car. “You were scared too.” He said just before slamming the car door shut. Tim just sat there. The brat was right. He’d been scared. Terrified even. 

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He waited, praying the man would pick up. 

“Timmy!” 

“Hey Dick.” 

“Tim. What’s wrong?” 

“It’s Damian. I think all of this… the moving and Alfred. It’s getting to him.” 

“Wow.”

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just you’ve never called about Dami before. You actually sound worried about him.” Dick was teasing but Tim didn’t feel like laughing, his gut twisted. 

“I am.” He whispered. Maybe he was a little bit worried about himself too. 

…

“Look at this place. Hello!” Dick shouted around as he stepped into the parlor. His voice echoing off the high ceilings and bouncing back at them. 

“You act like this is the first mansion you’ve ever lived in.” Damian scoffed but Tim could already see a difference, he was already acting more like himself than he’d had since they came to this place.

“This is my first time in _this_ mansion.” 

“Whatever.” 

Tim’s eyes wavered when he saw a duffel bag thrown over his brother’s shoulder. 

“Are you staying?” 

“Yeah. I figured Bruce probably has his hands full dealing with all that’s happened and I know he likes to isolate himself and you guys shouldn’t have to be alone either. So... “ Dick shrugged he looked a little uncomfortable. 

“Not like that’s ever stopped you before.” Damian muttered under his breath. 

Dick flinched. “Dami-”

The boy was already walking away. “I’ve got work to do.” he adjusted his backpack on his shoulder as if to prove his point. 

The man rubbed his temples looking uncertain. He turned back to Tim. “You okay? You sounded weird on the phone.” 

“Is that the real reason you’re here?” 

“Not you too.” 

“Sorry. It’s just--”

“No. You’re right. I’m here because you worried me.” 

“It’s this place. Damian’s been having nightmares. I keep--” _seeing things._ he stopped himself from finishing his thought. Dick would think he was losing it. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know. It just... doesn’t feel like home. I miss Alfred.” 

Dick put a comforting hand on his little brother’s shoulder. 

…

Dick found a room half way between both his brothers. He hadn’t had much of a chance to get Damian alone and as long as Tim was around the little boy kept his walls up. He’d try again tomorrow. 

He settled into the bed curled up on his side, drifting. 

Sometime around 2 am he woke, his door creaked open. He could hear footsteps coming closer to his bed. At first he felt a sick sense of unease in his chest. But it passed when a small body pressed up behind him. 

He smiled to himself. 

“Have another nightmare Dami?” The boy didn’t answer. He never really did when they’d lived together either. He’d just show up and curl up under the covers next to him. A hand reached over and grasped his squeezing it tightly. He returned the motion. “Tim was right this place must really freak you out." 

He grimaced a little as the squeezing got tighter. 

“Ow, okay I’ll stop talking now.” Figuring his brother didn’t like to be called scared. Tighter. “Ow. Seriously kid ease up you’re crushing me.” His hand felt like it was going to bruise. Dick sat up and turned to scold his brother. 

But his bed was empty and so was the rest of the room. The only thing different was the open door. 

…

“What’s wrong Grayson?” Damian asked as he noticed Dick staring at his hand transfixed at the breakfast table. The man jumped looking at him like he was a ghost or something. 

“Uh.” Dick shook his head “Nothing just had a creepy dream.” they were alone in the kitchen. It was the perfect time for him to have that talk with Damian. He pushed aside the strange dream and focused on his younger brother. “About yesterday. Are you mad at me?”

The boy looked distinctly uncomfortable. “You came here.” he finally said looking grumpy. 

“You’re angry because I decided to stick around.” he tried not to let the hurt show.

“You came running because _Drake_ called.” 

“What?” 

“You said you would come visit. You said you wouldn’t stay away too long but you never call and you never stop by.” Damian bit out. “And now you’re here because of him.” 

“That’s not-- I came because of you.” 

“Don’t lie to me!” 

Dick grabbed hold of his brothers shoulders turning his smaller frame to face him. “I’m not lying. Yeah, Tim called. But he called to tell me he was worried about you. I came to make sure you were okay. I came for you.” Dick reiterated. He wanted Damian to understand. “Look. I know that I’ve stayed away longer than I should have. Bruce and I--” he changed directions not really wanting to get into his strained relationship with their father. “I shouldn’t have put that on you. I’m gonna be better Dami.”

“I suppose I could forgive you.” Damian scuffed his shoe against the ground. 

“Oh? You suppose?” Dick grabbed him tickling his sides. 

“No!” Damian darted away but Nightwing was still able to catch the smile on the boys face. He took off after his brother. “Come back I want cuddles.” 

“Back off Grayson.” 

“Never!” 

…

“Why am I here?” 

“Because I called and you showed up.” Dick threw his arm around Jason dragging him through the house toward the kitchen. 

“No, I get that part. I’m just wondering why I listened to you.” 

“Because you love your family.” Jason elbowed Dick in the ribs. 

“You’re such a little gremlin!” Tim’s voice could be heard down the hallway. 

“You’re acting ridiculous Drake. Unhand me!” 

The two eldest looked at each other and hurried forward. Tim had Damian in a head lock and Damian was punching his brother in the stomach. It was a stalemate both of them trying to get the other to back down first. 

Dick pulled the two off one another while Jason just kicked back and watched. 

“Thanks for the help Jay.” 

“No problem Big Bird.” 

“What are you doing here?’ Damian questioned Jason eyes narrowed. 

“He’s here to cook.” Dick grinned. 

“Say what?” Jason didn’t agree to that shit. The eldest boy pouted giving his best puppy dog eyes. 

“I can’t cook and Timmy and Dami have eaten nothing but take out since they got here.”

“Why should I care?” 

“Please. We have all the groceries you need and you’re already here so…” 

“Ugh fine.” 

…

“Good evening boys. Jason I- um... I didn’t know you were going to be here.” 

“Feelings mutual old man.” Jason glared at Dick. 

Bruce opened his mouth to say something and Jason’s hand clenched into a fist. Dick put a hand on Jason’s shoulder and spoke before Bruce. 

“Alfred asked me to make sure you all got at least one homemade meal.” He said “So I made it happen. For him.” Bruce faltered and Jason glanced away. They ate in silence. 

“I’m heading to bed. Night.” 

“No patrol?” Tim questioned the man. 

“Not tonight. I’ve got Oracle on the look out but it’s been quiet for the last few days. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a full night of sleep.”

"Good luck" Damian whispered. 

“Night B.” Dick smiled “Sleep tight.” Bruce shook his head at his oldest a fond look in his eyes. 

Tim yawned well it had been a few nights since he’d gotten any proper rest. For some reason he didn’t feel safe closing his eyes in this place. But sitting at the table surrounded by his brothers arguing was like a lullaby to him. 

Dick did most the dishes roping Damian into helping dry despite the boys half-hearted protests. He dried off his hands after the last one wiping them on his jeans. Alfred would have scolded him if he’d been there. 

He caught sight of Tim sleeping his cheek pressed against the wood grain. “Time for bed Timmy.” He whispered. He didn’t have the heart to actually wake his brother and it wasn’t like the teen was very big so he just picked his brother up cradling his head against his chest. Jason and Damian were both arguing over the dumbwaiter so Dick let them be. Time to get this little bird tucked in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Review. Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

“Come on Damian. It could be fun, you just push this button and up you go.” The old dumbwaiter was still in good condition as far as Jason could tell. “The capacity says 200 pounds.” He’d seen these in movies as a kid and he’d always thought it sounded fun. It was a big disappointment when Alfred had told him that there wasn’t one in Wayne Manor. 

“I know what a dumbwaiter is Todd.” 

“Then hop in.” 

“Absolutely not.”

“Scared?”

“Why would I be scared?” Damian bristled at the insinuation. It didn’t matter that it might be a little bit true. There was no way he was going to tell Todd anything. He could already hear his brother laughing at him over it. 

“If you’re not scared, why won’t you do it?”

“Because I’m not a child.” 

“I dare you.” 

“I’ll repeat myself, since you obviously aren’t listening. I. Am. Not. A. Child.” 

Jason rolled his eyes. “Poor little baby bat is scared.” He spoke in an over dramatic baby voice. Damian glared at Todd and climbed into the dumbwaiter to prove himself to his older brother. He was not a coward. 

Jason grinned triumphantly. He pulled the door closed. It was metal and he could see his little brother through it. 

“Get on with it already.” 

“Going up.” He put on his best elevator voice and clicked the top button but Damian didn’t go up he started to go down. Except that didn’t make sense because the house didn’t have a basement as far as they knew. 

As soon as it started moving Damian wanted to be off of it. He didn’t care what his stupid brother thought of him. 

“Stop it!” He turned to look at Jason as it sunk lower. “Jason!”

The older man was startled by the amount of terror in his brothers eyes. That hadn’t been his goal. He’d just wanted to-- Jason pushed the button to stop the dumbwaiter but it didn’t stop. He clicked it a couple more times. Damian was out of his view now but he could still hear him shouting for him.

“Jason!” 

“Hold on, I’m trying.” He clicked the button again and again but it wasn’t working. Nothing was working. “You ok down there Baby bat.” 

“There’s a room down here.” Damian called up. 

“Can you get out.”

“There’s no door.” Damian had his phone out using the light to look around the room. There was no door on this level and he missed the sense of protection that came with it. He kept his light moving over each dusty box; there was what used to be a door in the corner now bricked over and blocked. A sudden movement caught his eye and he had to squint to see what it was at first. Damian gagged. 

He was familiar enough with death to know what a rotting hand looked like. Someone had been buried down here. Maybe that’s why they’d bricked up the door. To keep it from being found. How sickening.   
“Bring me up...please” He tried to keep his voice calm and measured but even he could hear the fear underneath. Damian was past caring. He didn’t want to be down here. 

The flashlight on his phone shut off and he almost dropped the device in his haste to turn it back on. He heard something in the darkness a shuffling motion like something being dragged over the dirt. 

“There’s something down here!” 

“What?” Probably rats. He thought as he tried to figure out why the dumbwaiter wasn’t working anymore. It had moved just fine the first time. He pushed the buttons over and over again.“Shit.”

“AAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Damian was screaming. Screaming and screaming. 

“Damian? DAMIAN?” 

No answer his little brother just continued to scream his head off as though he was being murdered. 

“What the fuck is going on Jason?” Dick and Tim both skidded into the kitchen to see Jason panicking in front of the dumbwaiter. 

“I don’t-- I was just messing around.” He shook his head.

Dick reacted first. “Did you put Damian in the dumbwaiter. You--” He didn’t have time to yell at his brother not with his youngest screaming bloody murder. He pushed the button for the dumbwaiter and it began to move. 

“I just did that and it wasn’t working.” Dick didn’t look convinced. “Come on Dick I wouldn’t just leave him down there screaming. I’m not-- I wouldn’t do that.” Jason emphasised. “I swear the stupid button wasn’t working.”

Dick ignored him. His brother looked so pale and he was trembling by the time Dick pulled him out of the little elevator. 

Damian was having a hard time breathing. The fear was suffocating him like a pillow over his mouth and nose. Incapacitated by fear. He could vaguely hear Richard asking what happened and telling him it was ok but none of the words helped he still felt so cold like part of him was still trapped in that basement with that thing in the dark. 

“Damian?”

“It grabbed me.” He whispered. 

“What did?” 

“I don’t--- I don’t know. It... “ Damian just shook his head. He grabbed Dick so suddenly that the man jumped a little at the abruptness. “I wanna leave. I don’t wanna be here.” He looked up at Dick with such desperation. “Please. Please I don’t-- I want to leave.”

Dick looked up at the other two. “Ok.” He decided. How could he say anything else in the face of his brothers fear. “We can leave. We can go to a safehouse for the night.” Damian just nodded pressing himself closer to Dick. “Okay, let’s go get your stuff.” 

“No!” They all jumped. “Let’s just leave. I don’t need… Please I just want to go.” 

“Okay.” He stood up Damian was wrapped around his torso like a koala. It might have been cute, except the unadulterated terror in the kid’s eyes made his blood run cold.

“Someone should stay here. B might freak out if we’re all gone.” Tim said. Not that he wanted to stay either. But he knew he should. Maybe Jason saw the hesitation in his eyes or maybe he was just feeling extra guilty. 

“I’ll stay with him.” Jason said. 

“Right. Night Tim.” 

…

“Don’t worry about Dick he’s just-- you know how he gets when it’s Damian.” 

“I swear to you Tim, I tried.” 

“I believe you.” Tim told him and he did. He knew inherently that there was something wrong in this house. But he didn’t know how to say it without sounding crazy. He had to physically stop himself from asking Jason to sleep in the same room as him. 

His fear wasn’t rational. 

…

Bruce woke abruptly to screaming. It was beginning to become a regular occurrence in this house. 

The atmosphere around the house had been tense. Damian had been having more nightmares. Tim had been pulling away from them; sleeping less and looking over his shoulder. This evening with Dick and Jason had felt the most normal since everything had happened. 

He’d hoped they’d all get a decent nights sleep. Apparently that was too much to hope for. 

He shuffled down the hall. The screaming had stopped it was likely Dick was handling it but he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep until he knew his littlest was safe and sound. 

He eased Damian’s door open. The boy seemed to have returned to sleep his body snuggled under the blanket Bruce had given him. He walked closer reaching out to just adjust the covers and tuck his son in. 

Only as soon as he touched Damian the boys body slumped over his eyes were staring at Bruce unseeing his skin pale. His boy was lying on the bed was lifeless. Lifeless. His dark hair was scattered in multiple places, stained with dried blood; crimson. 

Bruce stumbled back and fell into the armoire. He caught himself and when he looked back at his boy he was gone. The bed was empty like the vision he’d seen had never even existed. He felt as though he had been gassed by Scarecrow. His breath came out in harsh pants and his heart was beating so fast against his rib cage. 

“Damian.” He had to find him. He walked out of Damian’s room and almost right into Jason and Tim. 

“Bruce?” Tim looked concerned. 

“Where’s Damian?” He demanded 

“Calm down.” Jason glared. 

“Damn it Jason. Where’s my son. I heard him scream!”

Jason flinched and glanced away. “He’s not here, he left with Dick.” 

“What? Why?” 

“B, are you okay?” 

“I just-- I heard him scream.” He repeated almost desperately or as desperate as someone like Bruce could sound. 

“He was scared, Dick wanted to get him out of the house. They went to a safe house for the night.” Tim let him know. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. 

“You sure you’re alright?” 

“I’m fine. Tired.” 

That was certainly something. They watched Bruce walk back down the hall. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say he was tired.” Jason looked concerned. “What is up with this house?” 

“You have no idea.” Tim grumbled. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Tim told him slipping into this room leaving Jason in the hallway. 

Jason wasn’t afraid of a lot. He’d been through more than most. Built up walls to keep everything out. But standing out in an empty hallway and he felt a tickle on the back of his neck as though someone was watching him. Or something. 

Fuck. Damian was getting to him. He found Dick’s room and settled into the bed. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling but all he could hear was his Damian’s screams. He shook his head. It was an accident. He hadn’t meant to hurt the brat.

He rolled over on the bed and closed his eyes.

“Jason...” 

The boy shuffled on the bed his eyebrows creasing in his sleep. 

“Jason. Jason.” A voice whispered in his ear. 

He woke up and blinked looking over his shoulder at the open door. “Dick?” He swore he saw the man at the door. Wasn’t he supposed to be with Damian? Had something happened? He swung his legs out of bed and peered down the hallway. 

Dick was just fast enough to escape his vision. He jogged down the hall to catch up with him. Until he was met with a dead end. 

“What the-” He looked around. He pulled out his cell phone and tried to call Dick but his phone had no service. Jason headed down the stairs heading out the door and out onto the dark courtyard. 

The door slammed shut behind him and he whirled around walking back and pulling at the handle. The door was shut tight and locked. He banged on the heavy wood but there was no response. Jason cursed heavily.

He dialed and listened to the ringing. “Pick up, pick up, pick up.” He mumbled under his breath pacing back and forth his bare feet cold on the concrete.

…

Dick drove Damian to the nearest safe-house and Damian didn’t relax at all until the gates of the Kane manor vanished from sight. 

“Dami?” 

“I don’t like that house.” He said softly. “I know I sound crazy-”

“No-”

“It’s fine, I know I sound crazy. I feel crazy.” He fisted his hands in his hair and hid his face in his knees that were pulled up to his chest. 

“It’s ok.” Dick soothed. “You don’t have to go back. Not ever if you don’t want to.” He could have sworn that he heard his little brother sniffling nodding his head but not looking at Dick. He was embarrassed by his tears. 

They reached the house and Dick picked Damian up ignoring his slight struggles against the affection.

He put Damian down on the bed but the boy didn’t let go of him. “Stay?” Dick didn’t answer he just bundled him up against his chest.

“I’ve got you little D.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Review!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not going to focus on much of anything outside the house like patrol or Alfred. He'll be mentioned but for the most part the contents of the chapters will be all the creepy things that happen to the boys. 
> 
> I have more Tim and Damian bonding planned for this fic, but there will be plenty of Dick and Jason as well. Bruce too but he's the least affected. 
> 
> I included an image in this just for effect. Let me know if it helped or hindered the creep factor.


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